The safety arrangement of the present invention is intended to provide protection for the driver or front-seat passenger of a motor vehicle.
It has been found that in many accident situations, especially a frontal impact situation, the floor pan of a motor vehicle may be deformed, and if the deformed part of the floor pan is in the region of the foot of the driver or a vehicle occupant, then the foot, ankle or lower leg of the driver or occupant may be injured.
It has been proposed to provide a safety arrangement in a motor vehicle in which an air-bag is located on the floor of the vehicle in the foot-well at a position beneath the feet of the driver or front seat occupant of the vehicle. In the event that an accident is sensed, the air-bag may be inflated, thus effectively lifting the foot of the driver or vehicle occupant above the floor pan of the vehicle. Such an arrangement may prove to be satisfactory in many situations, but it is difficult to maintain the integrity of an air-bag located under the front carpet of a motor vehicle during the entire life of the motor vehicle. The air-bag may be punctured or may deteriorate to an unacceptable level due to the hostile environment experienced by the air-bag.
It has also been proposed to utilize a double-floor arrangement, with an upper floor element being moveably mounted on to a lower floor. However, all prior proposed arrangements suffer from one or more disadvantages.